SDSU Theatre Presents the Slasher Comedy Hookman
MOXIE Theatre’s Jennifer Eve Thorn directs SDSU students in a feminist play that provides a comedic retelling of a chilling urban legend
February 27, 2019
By Elizabeth Allison
February 27, 2019
Produced in association with MOXIE Theatre, SDSU Theatre presents Hookman, an existential slasher comedy that re-envisions an urban legend through a contemporary lens. Hookman runs from Friday, March 15 - Sunday, March 24 in the SDSU Experimental Theatre.
Based on an urban legend
Written by Lauren Yee, Hookman is a feminist exploration of the urban legend that warns young women about a dangerous man that would target them for promiscuous behavior. There are several versions of the Hookman legend, each designed to frighten, but the play offers a horror comedy that questions the original moral lesson of the tale.
While Yee’s Hookman has a dark sense of humor, presenting a witty and modern twist on the traditional narrative, one aspect of the urban legend remains in this production – blood. While other productions might have avoided the complicated, messy, and expensive challenge of gory technical effects, SDSU designers embraced the opportunity.
“What has been the most delightful in the challenges of the script is the amount of blood,” said Jennifer Eve Thorn, co-founder and Executive Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre and director of Hookman. “Instead of scaling back, the students and professors at SDSU were thrilled at the challenge of having multiple blood capsules, actor-operated bags of blood, and fake faces being torn off. The faculty gave free rein in having the designers think creatively on how to make it all happen.”
1st year MFA Scenic Design student Reiko Huffman, who serves as Hookman’s Scenic Designer, found the experience to be very rewarding. “For me, this being an academic setting means that we are in a learning environment, where we have opportunities to make mistakes and learn from an advisor,” said Huffman.
Produced in Association with MOXIE Theatre
Hookman is produced in association with MOXIE Theatre, and the cast and crew are comprised of SDSU graduate and undergraduate students.
“We often hire SDSU students to design shows at MOXIE,” said Thorn. “The SDSU Theatre Design Program is incredible, so Hookman will have the same level of high quality production audiences expect to see at MOXIE.”
Thorn is also excited that the cast is the same ages as their characters. “Student actors don’t often get to play their own age, so it’s an awesome opportunity for them to have these materials that will help them in a professional world.”
“I would encourage people to come see the show because it’s contemporary piece that is both fun and meaningful,” said Huffman. “Hookman presents a deeper message, making us reflect on how we stereotype others, and how we investigate our own memories when something traumatic happens. It’s scary, it’s fun, it’s about students, and there will definitely be something the audience can take away from it.”
Where and when
Hookman will run March 15 –March 24, Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Five cast members from Hookman will be serving as guides, stationed across campus an hour before the show begins in order to direct guests to the Experimental Theatre. These cast members will also provide a history on the various versions of the Hookman urban legend.
Following the performance on Thursday, March 21, Director Jennifer Eve Thorn and SDSU Professor Phillip Serrato will facilitate a free Horror Literature and Theatre Panel Discussion with the audience.
Tickets are $20 for general admission, and $17 for seniors, military, and students.
For tickets, directions, and parking information, visit ttf.sdsu.edu. For more information about the many other Arts Alive SDSU performances, concerts, and exhibitions, visit artsalive.sdsu.edu.
The content within this article has been edited by Lizbeth Persons.
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